My last reflections were on the people of the countries we have passed through so far. But in the last week or two, we have moved from Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Hercegovina, into Croatia, and now Slovenia. And without even talking to anybody, the difference is striking. I already mentioned somewhere that the Croatian part … Read more
We have lots of plans for the rest of Croatia, on our way home. But we are running out of time, because in the end we spent quite a few more days than planned in several of the towns we have been to, not in the least because of our newly-discovered fascination with brutalist architecture. … Read more
After the several ancient Venetian towns of the last few days, with narrow streets and impressive churches, we have temporarily seen enough of those, for a while. So we decide to move inland and aim for the Plitvice National Park, marketed as ‘Croatia’s top natural attraction and the absolute highlight of the Adriatic hinterland’. It … Read more
Sibenik, too, was long a Venetian town, but unlike the others we have seen so far, it was only established in the 11th C, by Slavs. Yet, the main characteristics of the town are, again, its narrow streets and alleys, many in the form of stairs. Walking through the old town is entertaining, finding various … Read more
Trogir, just half an hour drive from Split, is another town that was part of the Venetian Republic – after the Greeks and the Romans, the early Croat Kingdom and Byzantium, amongst some of the past rulers. It is situated on a small island that easily could be, and has been, fortified. The town has … Read more
The gallery, just outside Split, is housed in a villa originally designed by Mestrovic himself. It was built in 1931, and the artist lived and worked here until 1941. Ten years later he donated the property, together with 132 works of art, to the state, which now, through the Ivan Mestrovic Foundation, manages the gallery, … Read more
We have reached Croatia again, after a comfortable ride along a comfortable motorway, something we haven’t had for a while. Our first stop is Split, the largest city on the Dalmatian coast, originally settled by the Greeks in the 3rd or 2nd C BC. The most important building, however, is of Roman origin, the … Read more
With Zagreb having been disappointing, with no more museums of vital interest left, and with a seemingly never-ending rain, we drive ever further east. To where, according to the weather forecast, the sun is shining. Well, not today, just yet. Look at the map of Croatia, and it looks a bit like a boomerang, folded … Read more
Still fleeing the rain, we move ever further east, to Zagreb. Another of those places we have been to some 30 years ago – but we don’t remember much, except that it, then, looked a very pretty city. No more, the first impression is of a run-down place, poorly maintained buildings, lots of destructive graffiti. … Read more
It is still raining. The idea to spend a day walking – I wouldn’t want to equate our strolls through nature to hiking – in the Žumberak Samoborsko Gorje, a national park just across the border in Croatia, was suddenly a lot less attractive than it seemed when planning our trip. However, in the region … Read more